3.13: Medicine Skills
The Medicine Skills are as follows: *''Intensive Care'' (Used to heal characters in emergency situations) *''Treatment'' (Used to help heal characters) *''Xenobiology'' (Assists in the healing of a character based on their species) *''Specialized Medicine'' (Used to treat the effects of poisons and pathogens) *''Psychology'' (Used to treat mental disorders and effects of psionic attacks) ''Intensive Care'' (ITC) This Skill measures a character's knowledge and ability to administer emergency first aid to a critically injured person. Should another nearby character be in clinical death, the character may make an Intensive Care Check in order to curtail or prevent their slide towards brain death. An amount equal to the amount by which the "patient" is below their maximum HP is subtracted from the DC of an Intensive Care Check when it is performed; other factors (such as whether sufficient equipment is available, if the treatment is taking place in a moving vehicle, etc.) may also adjust the DC. The patient will gain or lose one-tenth the amount of success/failure of the roll in HP, rounding up. Intensive Care Checks may also be made as a last resort attempt to prevent a character's death; if the Check fails, brain death is immediate. If the Check succeeds, however, they are placed in stasis (see Chapter 9.2) and can subsequently be healed normally. Specializations in Intensive Care include specific emergency situations (gunshot wound, heart attack, etc.). ''Treatment'' (TRT) This Skill measures a character's ability to handle the medical needs of people under their care. Treatment Checks are made to actively treat patients. The amount by which a patient is below their maximum HP is subtracted from the DC of a Treatment Check when it is performed. Treatment Checks are performed hourly. If the Check fails, the patient restores no HP that hour. This Check has critical potential: in the event of a critical failure, the patient loses one-tenth the degree of failure in HP (round down). A successful Check restores a number of HP or NHP equal to the degree of success up to the patient’s maximum HP/NHP. Skill specializations are reserved for specific types of injuries (blunt-force trauma, gunshot wounds, etc.). ''Xenobiology'' (XNB) This Skill indicates a medic’s familiarity and flexibility in determining and working with the anatomy of various life-forms; this knowledge can be used to speed the healing of others. Specializations include specific species (Terran, Kilrathi, Firekkan, etc.). A Xenobiology Check may be made as a precursor to any Intensive Care or Treatment Check; the degree of success or failure is added to the DC of the subsequent Check. For every five points in the Doctor's Xenobiology Skill, another point of HP may be healed above the normal amount indicated by an hourly Treatment Check for a patient; this bonus extends to any specializations that may apply. ''Specialized Medicine'' (SMD) This Skill reflects a character's familiarity with various types of toxins and pathogens as well as their ability to detect and treat them. A Specialized Medicine Check may be made by a character in order to counter the effects of any poison, disease or other contagion to which another character has been exposed. This Skill is typically subject to circumstantial DC adjustments; a character faced with the treatment of a fast-acting neurotoxin is likely facing unfavorable circumstances. Specializations include any specific or general category of poisons or diseases. For a partial listing of poisons and pathogens, see Chapter 12.3. Note that in some cases, a Specialized Medicine Check may also be used to prevent a pathogen from infecting an entire group of characters. ''Psychology'' (PSY) This Skill reflects a character’s familiarity with various types of mental disorders (whether naturally occurring or induced by certain conditions) as well as their ability to detect and treat them. A Psychology Check may be made to counter the effects of any psionic attacks to which any other character has been subjected (for a brief discussion of psionics, see Chapter 12.3). They may also be used to curtail a psionic effect before it becomes too pronounced, or to temporarily curtail the effects of the Insane Complication. This Skill is typically subject to circumstantial DC adjustments; a character attempting to calm a raging psychopath is likely facing unfavorable circumstances. Specializations include any of the psychological disciplines (such as criminal behavior, psychoanalysis, sports psychology, etc.). ---- NEXT: 4.0 Traits PREVIOUS: 3.12 Communications Skills TOP ---- Category:WCRPG